Stunning Chihuly Glass!

Hi Everyone...hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Today's post isn't related to interior design, but it is certainly related to beautiful design.  

I had such a great experience on Saturday afternoon.  We had a friend in town and we ended up going to the Chihuly Museum of Garden and Glass.  I have long been a fan of Washington-born Dale Chihuly, but this museum blew.me.away.  It was such a beautiful experience I just had to share it with all of you! 

Take a look at a few of the pieces that we saw:

His time spent growing up around Puget Sound influences his sea-inspired and native american work.

Many of the installations were set in natural settings, reflective of his inspirations.

I hope you enjoyed the tour.  If you ever get to Seattle, don't miss this museum!

Pacific NW Holidays: Marianne Simon Design

My last (but certainly not least!) post in the series on celebrating the Holidays in the Pacific NW is the lovely Marianne from Marianne Simon Design.  I have been so fortunate to have met her and call her a new, dear friend in Seattle!  Lucky me.  If you don't already know Marianne, you'll see why I am so glad I found her after you read her wonderful post!  I won't make you wait any longer...here you go!

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What an honor to be here today on Barbara's gorgeous blog.  I feel so lucky that we have become friends, not only in the blog world, but also in person.  I was thrilled when she asked me to do a post on what I love about celebrating the holidays in the Pacific Northwest.  So, without further ado, these are a few of my favorite things...

Pike Place Market
Always a fun place to visit any time of year, but the holidays seem to make the market a little more magical.

Bellevue Botanical Garden

This is a place you have to visit.  Not only do I go every year to see all of the beautiful creations, I actually took a class one day a few years ago at the garden and helped them make wisteria.  Every time I look at the display I'm reminded that I actually created some of the flowers there!

Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker

Always a festive way to kick off the holiday season!  Here's my favorite part...

Baking

Of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without one of our longest family traditions dating back over 75 years.  When I say we do a lot of baking, I am not kidding.  We typically make between 30-50 or more varieties of cookies and candies over one long weekend.  I swear this is harder than my day job, but the joy it brings to family and friends faces when we pass out our box of goodness... priceless!  Heres' a look at a few of last years creations.

Decorating

In my own house, I use a lot of fresh greenery and keep everything pretty neutral so it doesn't compete with my decor. 

Paperwhites

I always start them right around Thanksgiving so they'll be in bloom for Christmas.  I place them all over my house and the smell is intoxicating.  These were in my office last year.

Published

Here's my shameless plug for the holidays...  This year I'm celebrating my home being published in the December issue of HGTV magazine.  Truly a dream come true!

Family

Of course, the best part of the holidays is spending time with my family and friends filled with lots of laughter and joy!

Thank you again Barbara for including me!  Happy Holidays!

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Isn't she great?  I see that we share a love of paperwhites, the Nutcracker and simple greens for the holidays, among many other things.  Thanks for the beautiful post Marianne.  :)
And, how amazing is that about her being published in HGTV magazine?  Congratulations Marianne!!  I am so happy for you!

Thanks so much for your beautiful post, showcasing your great style and zest for living.

Pacific NW Holidays: Splendid Willow

Today for the Pacific NW Holidays series, I bring you the lovely & stylish Monika from Splendid Willow!  I am so happy to report that Mon is a new friend since I have moved to Seattle and she couldn't have made me feel more welcome!  Without further delay, let's hear what she has to say about she brings her Swedish style to Seattle:

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Barbara, thank you for having me here today. I will happily share some of my Northwest-Swedish holiday traditions with you. (And you Ms. Barbara will be invited to one of them - guess which one?!!).

Coming December this household gets crazy busy as many others this season. Except for mandatory Holiday decorating, treat making and Nutcracker events, there are three special things that are part of our family traditions and that we always make time for:

  

Mid December we officially open the doors to our "Holiday Candy Store". The kids and I fill our old Swedish secretaire with lots of homemade treats and goodies. Friends and family members tend to gravitate more to that part of the house that many other! It is a fun tradition that I hope my children will continue.

Pssst... Brugge Chocolates makes the best chocolates in Seattle. Very high-end European style.

No. 2 - Gloegg Party(ies)!

Our gloegg party is growing every year and what a fun way to see friends and family, happy and relaxed during this busy season. Being from Sweden, "Gloegg" is a Swedish must have have during the winter season. Gloegg is basically hot, sweet, mulled wine with added spices, almonds and raisins. And of course we serve lots of good dishes and treats to go with this cheerful holiday drink.

No. 3 -- Bellevue Botanical Garden d'Lights Festival

We have been visiting for a few years and the kids love it! We tend to go late, after dinner, and together we walk the paths in the Bellevue Gardens and admire all the creative & colorful lighting displays on the trees and plants. It is really a wonderful & dazzling treat for the eye and it gets us all in the Holiday Spirit!

Extra Bonus (sans kids!)

When my husband and I need a little special time to ourselves, we enjoy visiting Cafe Juanita in Kirkland. The award winning chef & owner, Holly Smith, always gets rave reviews from magazines, critics and a loyal clientele. And rightfully so. Her food is top notch Northern Italian cuisine without the contrived factor. The restaurant is located in a retro styled converted home. I would describe it as understated elegant with a very good vibe. We always leave happy -- and full!

So, there. Some of my personal traditions and must-visit-spots around beautiful Seattle.

Wishing all of your readers a beautiful Holiday season. And a warm holiday hug to you Ms. Barbara. You are a gem. Seattle is very fortunate to have you right here in in our lovely city.

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What a sweetie!  Isn't that candy store idea such a great one?

I haven't tried Brugge chocolatees (except in Brugge!) so that's a must for me sometime soon....

Mon, I can't wait to share some Gloegg with you!  Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with my readers.  :)

Pacific NW Holidays: Simply Fresh Dinners

Today's post about Pacific NW Holidays goes a bit north of Seattle - to Vancouver Island.  Robyn from Simply Fresh Dinners joins us today with her take on a luxurious holiday tradition!  I think you're going to really enjoy this one, and may even find yourself planning your next vacation there before you're done.  I have to warn you though, you will leave this post hungry for a delicious, gourmet, locally grown Pacific NW meal for sure!  Read on...

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There is a mystical place on the west coast of Vancouver Island that embodies nature’s most spectacular landscapes and creatures, the unique artistry of local craftsmen, and the blissful pleasures of home grown organic food.  This place is Sooke Harbour House and every year during the Christmas holidays my friends and family visit their restaurant for a meal that can only be described as out of this world.

This romantic getaway has 28 oceanfront rooms and is nestled into the banks of the Pacific Ocean with beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.   I`ve stayed overnight a couple times even though my home is just 30 minutes away.  It`s just that irresistible!

The property is on two and a half acres and beautifully landscaped.  The rooms are true to west coast design and the furniture is made by local craftsman.  I`m particularly fond of the chairs in the restaurant and after my first visit here, I inquired about the designer and was told he lived just down the road.  His name is Rusty Sage and  I went to visit him and  was so impressed with his work that I commissioned him to do my kitchen table and chairs and staircases in my home that I was renovating at the time.  The ones in my kitchen are almost identical to the ones below.

 

Whether you`re curled up watching winter storms or hoping to catch a pod of killer whales swimming by, these rooms are so cozy and romantic.  I love the variety of woods they have used.  Everything is hand crafted.

The inn has a beautiful art gallery and they actively promote local artists from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.  There is a very large and diverse community of artists in the area from sculptors and painters to jewellers and wood craftsmen and stone masons.   You can also find the art throughout the inn, in the rooms, the restaurants and even in the gardens.

If you`re a foodie, this is the place to be.   Most of the produce is grown right on the property and their seafood is local and fresh.   If you live in the PNW, it is worth a visit just for the food alone.  

The owner, Sinclair Philip, is the Canadian representative to Slow Food in Italy and some years ago was a Slow Food Vancouver Island Convivum leader. His commitment to offering the best in freshness, flavour and creativity is evident in the pictures below.

Sooke Harbour House Salad - Wild & cultivated herbs, lettuces, flowers and blossoms from their certified organic garden.

Early Winter Salad
Robyn has been kind enough to post this recipe today!  Click here to find out more!

Crispy Sidney Lemon Sole, lemon thyme & stoneground mustard spaetzle, basil & argula pistou, savoy cabbage, grilled zucchini & baby turnips, spot prawn & roasted tomato cream, shrimp red pepper salsa

Roasted Berkshire Pork Tenderloin, phyllo wrapped potato & caramelized onion terrine, kale with pancetta, green beans & baby carrots, rhubarb & sundried apricot chutney, rosemary & red wine bordelaise sauce.

Parsnip, Turnip & Borage Soup with smoked Albacore Tuna loin & leek oil.

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Chocolate torte, rainier cherry compote, white chocolate basil ice cream.

The best way to walk off all that delicious food is to take a stroll along their beachfront.  There are also kayaks available and if you are staying overnight there are plenty of whale watching and fishing charters available.  I am passionate about the killer whale population around Vancouver Island and Puget Sound and there  plenty of opportunities to view them here.  There are also grey whales, humpback and a few years ago a rare blue whale was spotted along this coast.   If you are a bird watcher, there are plenty of bald eagles, golden eagles and blue heron.

Thank you, Barbara, for the opportunity to share one of my favourite places and Christmas traditions with you and your readers.   No matter where you are, the Pacific Northwest is always in your heart and it was a pleasure to revist such warm memories.

Photography

Pictures of the food are from  the beautiful blog  A legg up , http://www.aleggup.com/?m=0

All other pictures are the property of Sooke Harbour House

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I warned you this was going to be irresistable.  :)

I'm not sure what drew me in the most - the food, the inn or the whale sighting!  

Thank you Robyn for such an incredible tour of a place where anyone would be lucky to celebrate a holiday!

Pacific NW Holidays: Trouerlesoleil

I'm excited to start out our series about Holidays in the Pacific NW with the lovely Leslie from the beautiful and insightful Trouverlesoleil blog.  I hope you will enjoy her post as much I did - she has a wonderful holiday season ahead of her!

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Hi Barbara!

Thanks so much for inviting me to participate in your holidays in the Pacific Northwest series.  

Seattle truly sparkles during the holidays!  Our city is the perfect size and easily accessible .. so there's lots of opportunity to visit and take advantage of all the festivities.

We begin the season with the Macy's Day Parade held the day after Thanksgiving.  It's an EARLY morning, but worth it once we get there.  A hot coffee, cider, or cocoa in hand, dressed in boots and warm gloves and coats, we watch the parade.. rain or shine.  

                                          

http://www.seattlecarriages.com/seattlechristmas.html        

After the parade we usually dine at one of our favorite eateries such as PlacePigalle. 

This day  marks our first official holiday shopping day, so off we go.  

www.westlakecenter.com

The day ends with the tree lighting ceremony downtown.

via

Pomander Balls: I have been making these at the start of the season since I was a child.  The natural citrus and clove fragrance is one that I never tire of.  I place the 

oranges and cloves in a couple of bowls and family and friends gradually create designs.  

Pacific Northwest Ballet company does a wonderful production of the Nutcracker.  This is a wonderful family tradition or holiday girls day. We usually have a lunch at one of our favorite restaurants and then attend a later matinee. 

Theater is amazing here in Seattle.   Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol at the ACT theater downtown is a must see if you are here over the holidays.  This is performed in the round so there isn't a bad seat in the house.

What's the holidays without caroling, right?!   The Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling competition features over 40 caroling teams that sing their hearts out to raise money for Seattle's Senior Center and Food Bank.  Dress warm and eat a hearty meal before hand!

Who doesn't like a fancy Gingerbread House?!  The Sheraton Hotel in Seattle has an amazing display of Gingerbread House's.  Due to the chaos of the season, we've typically save this event for week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. 

I look forward to the sense of calm that sets in during the season.  My favorite moments are always the quiet, reflective ones spent with family and friends.  This is a wonderful time to just BE...

Wishing you a peaceful season.

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Pretty magical, right?  
I think I'm going to have to see that gingerbread display for sure.  And, Leslie, we are going to the Nutcracker too - maybe we can meet there if it hits the same day!  Wouldn't that be a nice coincidence??!!!  :)
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful holiday traditions Leslie and Happy Holidays!